Floor fastening



y 1940. A. w. LAWRENCE I ,206,464

FLOOR FASTENING Original Filed July 19; 19;:

Patented July 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR FASTENINGApplication July 19, 1934, Serial No. 735,979 Renewed November 28, 19394 Claims.

This invention relates to flooring and the like, including the coveringand finishing of floors, walls, ceilings, etc., by wood or othersuitable ma terials in block or strip form, and the primary 6 object ofthe invention is the provision of an improved and more economicalflooring and flooring material and improved means for laying and holdingthe same in place.

In one aspect the invention relates to parquet flooring and to animproved parquet flooring block. Parquet flooring blocks are constructedof a plurality of independent pieces joined together to form blocks ofany desired configuration, and various means, such as gluing and the useof tongue and groove connections, as in Pat ent No. 1,477,813, havehereto-fore been devised for holding the pieces together in block form.As far as I am aware, all such means heretofore known have had variouslimitations and objections. I have devised improved and relativelysimple means for performing this function in a manner eliminating theseobjections and limitations and producing a superior parquet block moreeconomically than has been heretofore possible, and such accomplishmentcomprises one object of the invention.

An important feature of the invention relates to a new and inexpensiveclip or fastener element for securing the pieces together into blockform. The fastener which I have developed may be economicallyconstructed from flat metal strap material merely by cutting the latterinto short lengths and striking up retaining barbs on the ends thereof.The cooperating edges of the block or flooring pieces are recessed toreceive these fasteners and each block is formed merely by placing thepieces into cooperating relation and forcing the fasteners into therecesses whereupon the barbs bite into the pieces and hold them togetheras a unit block. The production of such an improved fastener and itscooperating relation with the block pieces comprises another object ofthe invention.

A further feature of the invention relates to the laying of the blocksto form the flooring and embodies the use of clips or fasteners similarto those above described. These fasteners are constructed from flatmetal strap material merely by cutting the latter into short lengths,bending the intermediate portion thereof into V-shape and perforatingsuch portion toreceive a nail. The blocks are recessed or grooved acrosstheir ends, as Well as along the side edges, and are held securelyinplace by these fasteners, the ends of the fasteners extending into thegrooves of the adjacent blocks and the fasteners'being held in place bynails driven therethrough and into a substructure. These improvedfasteners are not only relatively simple and inexpensive but are easy touse and they hold the blocks snugly in contact with each other and downonto the substructure, all as hereinafter described. Such an improvedfastener and its cooperation with the flooring pieces comprises afurther object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a parquetflooring constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved fastener for securing theparquet block pieces together;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my improved Fig. 7 is an enlargedsectionalview taken on line 11 of Fig. 6; and

' Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of block formingfastener.

In Figs. 1-5 of the drawing I have illustrated my invention as embodiedin the, construction of an improved parquet flooring- This flooring, asillustrated, is made up of square blocks I!) each comprising fourindependent pieces l2 in edge to edge relation. Each piece I2 isrecessed or grooved at M on both edges thereof and at its ends IS, therecessing preferably being continuous around the piece and locatedrelatively adjacent to the bottom face thereof. Such construction leavesa relatively thick wearing portion l8 above the groove and asufficiently thick supporting and holding portion 20 below the groove.The pieces, as illustrated, are so proportioned that four pieces placedin edge to edge relation form a square block, although it will beunderstood that the invention is not limited in this respect.

In accordance with my invention, the blocks ID are conveniently formedby the use of the novel clip or fastener 22 shown in Fig. 3. Thisfastener is a relatively short piece of fiat strap material, of metal orthe equivalent thereof, having its body portion substantially in asingle plane and having inwardly projecting barbs 24 struck preferablyfrom the interior of the end portions thereof and projecting outwardlyof said plane. As illustrated, the barbs 24 are so cut from the strapthat the inner end and side edges of each barb is free and the outer endis integral with the strap. Such construction provides a barb which caneasily be forced into the grooves l4, the opposed walls of the groovesbeing substantially parallel whereby to receive the fasteners with anopposed wedging action. The four pieces l2 are assembled'into a blockunit by placing the pieces in edge to edge relation and then forcing thefasteners longitudinallyof the joints 23-45 into the opposed grooves l4where'- upon the barbs bite into the body portion'of the pieces andprevent any separation thereof. The cooperating edges of the pieces arepreferably so constructed that the adjacent pieces come intocontact atboth sides of the grooves, as shown at 23 and- 25 in Fig. 2,thusstrengthening the block at the joints and reinforcing the fasteners,although if desired the adjacent edges below the grooves may be spacedapart as are the joints at 52 or the joints shown in Patent No.1,779,729. I have found that two rather widely spaced fasteners betweeneach two adjacent pieces and located adjacent to the ends of the piecesserve to hold the pieces securely together and form a unit block ofgreat rigidity. The barbs 24 are preferably projected from one face onlyof the fastener whereby to engage only the thick body portion of thepieces above the fastener as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be understood that in Fig. 3 I have illustrated a specific andpreferred form of fastener and that the invention is not necessarilylimited thereto. For example, in Fig. 8 I have illustrated a modifiedform of like fastener embodying a short metal strip 26 having the ends28 thereof turned inwardly to provide barbs adapted to perform thefunctionof the barbs 24 above described. The barbs in both forms offastener are integral with the fasteners at their rear ends only andhave forward ends engaging the pieces above the grooves along a linecontact substantially parallel with the adjacent edges of the pieces.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the blocks are laid as flooring or the likeby being placed in edge to edge relation and are secured to asubstructure by the use of the novel clip or fastener 30 shown in Fig.4. This fastener is a relatively short piece of flat metal strapmaterial having its intermediate portion 32 bent out of the plane of thestrap to V-shape and having the two ends substantially in the same planefor engaging within the grooves of adjacent blocks, the intermediateportion having a nail receiving hole or holes 34 preferably through oneor both sides thereof. The ends of the pieces I21 comprising the blockH] are grooved at Hi to receive these fasteners, as are also the outeredges 36 of the outer pieces l2 of the block. These grooves are likegrooves I4 except that the lower walls 38 are inclineddownwardly-outwardly to a configuration corresponding substantially tothe outer surfaces of the intermediate V-portion 32 of the fastener 30.

In laying the blocks as shown in Fig. 1, fasteners 30 are inserted intothe recesses at 36 or [6 of the block or blocks in place on thesubstructure, the fasteners being suitably spaced apart, and holdingnails 40 are driven through the holes 34 beneath the laid block. Eachsuch nail is driven angularly in the direction of the laid block, asshown in Fig. 2, and thus crowds the fastener and laid block bothlaterally into contact with the adjacent block and downwardly onto thesubstructure. The adjacent block is laid by inserting its recess 36 overthe projecting ends of the secured fasteners, as will be understood.This latter block is, thereafter crowded a tightly against itscooperating block, and during this movement the inclined surface 38,coacting with the inclined surface 32 of the fasteners, serves to crowdthe forward edge of said latter block down onto the substructure. Thusthe two adjacent edges of the block are brought and held snugly againsteach other and against the substructure. v

It will now be apparent that I have produced a new and improved flooringembodying parquet blocks of a superior construction and relativelysimple and inexpensive fasteners cooperating therewith tohold the piecesof each block secured together into a unit, it being understood that theconstruction not only requires a minimum of expense for material butalso a minimum amount of labor to assemble the same. The inventionfurthermore provides a like procedure and economy for the laying of theblocks and produces a floor superior to like floors heretofore known.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to the specificflooring showing in Figs. 1-5 and above described, and in Figs. 6 and 7I have illustrated an application of the invention to strip flooring. Inthis construction the strips 50 are grooved longitudinally at 52 in thesame manner as the blocks are grooved at 3638 whereby to adapt the edgesof the strips to receive the fasteners 30. The operation of laying thesestrips is the same as that above described in connection with the blocksID. The fasteners are inserted at suitably spaced intervals into thegrooves 52 of the last laid strip and nailed as at 54. The next strip isthen applied to the outwardly projecting ends of the fasteners, as willbe understood. When completed, the flooring strips are held securely incontact with each other and tightly against the substructure, it beingunderstood that the nail draws and holds the apex of the V-portion 32 ofthe fastener tightly against the substructure. It will be apparent thatthis securing fastener, of upright U or V- shape in cross sectiontransversely of the juxtaposed side edges of the pieces held by thefastener, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, is extremely simple and economical,effectively serves the holding function and is convenient and easy touse.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A parquet flooring block comprising a plurality of pieces in edge toedge relation and having their cooperating edges recessed between thetop and bottom faces of the pieces to receive holding fasteners commonto adjacent pieces, a plurality of fasteners engaging within and holdingthe adjacent pieces together, said fasteners each comprising a strip ofmetal having the ends thereof extending into the recesses of twoadjacent pieces, and barbs on the end portions of the fasteners inbiting engagement with the pieces above the recesses, the sum of thewidths of the fasteners along the cooperating edges of two adjacentpieces being less than one-half the length of the pieces along saidedges.

2. A parquet flooring block comprising a plurality of pieces in edge toedge relation and having their cooperating edges recessed between thetop and bottom faces of the pieces to receive holding fasteners commonto adjacent pieces, a plurality of fasteners engaging within and holdingthe adjacent pieces together, said fasteners each comprising a strip ofmetal having the ends thereof extending into the recesses of twoadjacent pieces, and inwardly extending barbs struck from and bent outof the plane of the end portions of the fasteners, the barbs beingintegral with the fasteners at their rear ends only and having forwardends engaging the pieces above the recesses along a line contactsubstantially parallel with the adjacent edges of the pieces.

3. A one-piece fastener for securing together the pieces of parquetblock flooring, comprising a fiat metal strap having its body portionsubstantially in a common plane and having an inwardly projecting barbstruck therefrom at each end portion thereof and projecting outwardly ofsaid plane, the inner end and side edges of each barb being free, theouter end being integral with the strap and said inner free endpresenting a line abutment for contacting with the flooring.

4. A parquet flooring block comprising a plurality of oblong pieces inedge to edge relation longitudinally and having their cooperating edgesrecessed inwardly and forming substantially par= allel opposed wallsbetween the top and bottom faces of the pieces to receive holdingfasteners common to adjacent pieces, the recesses being located nearerto the bottom face whereby leaving a relatively thick and continuouswearing portion above each recess, and two fasteners respectivelylocated adjacent to the ends of the pieces and engaging within andholding each two adjacent pieces together, said fasteners eachcomprising a strip of metal having the ends thereof extending into therecesses of two adjacent pieces and the sum of the widths of thefasteners along the cooperating edges of two adjacent pieces being lessthan one half the length of the pieces along said edges.

ABBO'I'I' W. LAWRENCE.

